Cruise travel at its best. What makes Tauck's Small Ship Cruising and River Cruising unique is the focus on the destination – in scenic ports of call that connect you with people and places... moving, compelling and heart-warming experiences onboard and ashore... inspiration through Tauck's cruise travel. They cast anchor in pristine bays, off island beaches and at docks accustomed to personal yachts... in small towns and villages along the great rivers of Europe... and in some of the world's favorite cities. Tfime ashore is enriched by in-depth cultural exploration and insider access that ensures up-close-and-personal connections with the locals and daily life. Tauck's cruise travel adventures include guided sightseeing with local experts such as naturalists, historians, and accomplished lecturers. You'll dine on regional cuisine on land at aboard ship that showcases specialties of the destination. And after a day of extraordinary sightseeing, Tauck welcome you back onboard the hand-picked vessels for warm camaraderie and lively conversation that's inherent on every Tauck cruise travel experience. The stories are endless, the memories are timeless and the connections priceless.
River Cruising
The heart of history meets the art of sophisticated river cruise travel aboard Tauck's river cruises. Experience the Tauck difference on cruise travel days along great European waterways from the Rhine to the Danube, from the canals of the Netherlands to the Rhône, from the Main to the Danube and the Moselle... You'll cruise aboard spacious riverboats that have been custom designed to meet American standards with well appointed outside facing cabins and suites, a choise of on-board dining venues, complimentary wine with dinner, fitness centers and attentive personal service from Tauck's staff and the ship's crew. Ancient civilizations beckon on cruise travel days along the River Nile in Egypt and China's Yangtze River on Tauck's Exotic journeys, where 3- and 4-night river cruise travel enhances land journeys.
Small Ship Cruising
The difference in Tauck's small ship cruise travel lies in the choreography of the total cruise travel experience – the combination of personalized cruising with cultural land exploration. How you spend your days ashore – where you go, what you do, who you meet – that's the Tauck difference. From the moment you step ashore, with 85 years of expertise on land ensures that on every cruise travel day, every moment of your shore excursions (all included in the price) count! Smaller ships hold fewer passengers, which means more personal attention from the captain and the crew – you'll find the on-board atmosphere to be both club-like and comfortable. The pace is more relaxed, the conversations are richer, and the day-to-day experiences are shared with like-minded travelers.
ms Treasures
Cruising Europe's inland waterways exclusively for Tauck, the sister ships ms Swiss Emerald, ms Swiss Sapphire, ms Swiss Jewel and new-for-2011 ms Treasures represent the epitome of luxurious river cruising. In addition to their spacious, well-appointed cabins, all four ships offer 14 beautiful 300-square-foot suites – equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows, marble baths, flat-screen televisions and walk-in closets – as well as 7 junior suites, adding up to four times more suites than most other European riverboats. The cabins, which range from 150 to 183 sq. ft., provide plush accommodations with plasma TV, terry bathrobes, fine L'Occitane toiletries, large windows and much more; 85% of the cabins have floor-to-ceiling windows with French balconies. A crew of 29 attentively serves just 118 guests. The Restaurant offers both an elegant dining venue and a fine dining experience, while the spacious Panorama Lounge in the bow, with its bar, dance floor and entertainment, is a delightful gathering spot in the evenings. The gracious Lido Bar in the stern has a 180° glass wall that opens for an indoor / outdoor cocktail hour, and offers alternative bistro dining featuring lighter fare – a first on Europe’s rivers. Tauck's riverboat fleet is definitely “top-of-the-line”!
Amenities & Dining
- Open dining, with no assigned seats; tables seat 4 and 6
- Wine with dinner, unlimited soft drinks, and beer with lunch and dinner included aboard the riverboat; vegetarian meals are available
- Alternative bistro dining available in and outside of (weather permitting) the Lido Bar
- Room service breakfast available in Category 6 suites
- Complimentary snack baskets served from 2:00 PM to midnight
- E-mail available in Internet Corner of the Lido Bar; Nintendo Wii games available on each riverboat
- Themed Happy Hour in the bar/lounge; piano music nightly
- Fitness center; whirlpool on sun deck, available 24 hours
- On-board entertainment programs include movie nights, cooking demonstrations, local entertainment, themed game nights and more
- Accept cash (Euros), Visa, MasterCard, and American Express; no money exchange on board
- Tauck Director audio commentary available in cabins
- Laundry service (limited); ironing available
Ship Specifications
Newly Built 2006 – 2011!
Registry: Swiss
Length: 361 ft. (110 meters)
Width: 37 ft. (11 meters)
Draft: 4 ft. (1.2 meters)
Number of Guests: 118
Crew Members: 29
Crew Nationality: Mostly European
Number of Decks: 3 plus a sun deck
Fully air conditioned: Yes
Elevator: Yes – between the Ruby and Diamond decks; stairs (12 steps) between the other decks
Internet: Send / Receive
Tauck’s European Riverboat Fleet, comprised of sister ships ms Swiss Emerald, ms Swiss Sapphire, ms Swiss Jewel and ms Treasures launching in 2011, represents the state of the art in modern river cruising. Operating exclusively for Tauck, each ship features three passenger decks custom-designed to comfortably accommodate 118 Tauck guests in gracious style; most similar-sized riverboats average about 140 guests. All Tauck riverboats boast four times more suites than most other European riverboats – 14 lush 300-square-foot suites featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, brocade upholstery, walk-in closets and marble baths with full-size tubs, along with 7 junior suites. Well-appointed, outside-facing cabins and junior suites, ranging from 150 to 183 square feet, offer plush interiors with plasma TV, mini-bar, radio, safe, hair dryer, adjustable air conditioning and private bathroom with shower, pampering l’Occitane toiletries and terry cloth robes and slippers; power is 220 volt. Floor-to-ceiling windows with French balconies grace 85% of our cabins. Guests enjoy exceptional vantage points throughout each ship; panoramic windows provide spectacular views of the passing shore. Culinary pleasures are many, from a spacious restaurant offering menus designed for a variety of tastes to alternative bistro dining featuring lighter fare in the teak-lined Lido Bar; limited outdoor dining is also available. Sporting a fully opening 180º glass wall, the Lido Bar also offers coffee & tea, cappuccino, and snacks throughout the day. Each ship has a fitness center and a sun deck with 24-hour Jacuzzi, as well as a lounge, library and boutique.
Deck and Cabin Guide
Budapest to the Black Sea River Cruise With Tauck
Day 1: Your adventure begins in Budapest
Meals: Dinner
This most exciting of Danube cruises and tours begins at 6:00 PM at Le Méridien Budapest. A transfer is included from Budapest's Ferihegy Airport to Le Méridien Budapest in the heart of the city's Pest section (or a similar property). Meet your fellow travelers and Tauck Directors at the welcome cocktail reception and dinner at the Akademia Club in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences overlooking the Danube. (Please note: on Aug 12 departure, the welcome reception and dinner will be held at the Festetics Palace.)
Lodging: Le Meridien Budapest
Day 2: Discover bustling Budapest, past and present
Meals: Breakfast
Your exploration of Budapest begins in the city's Pest section – once an independent city of its own, but united with Buda in the mid-19th-century – with a visit to the neo-Renaissance St. Stephen's Basilica, built in 1905. Also view the Parliament building, a neo-Gothic masterpiece; Heroes’ Square, bounded by some of the finest architectural works in Hungary; and such Budapest treasures as City Park, Central Market Hall, and tree-lined Andrassy Avenue.
Lodging: Le Meridien Budapest
Day 3: Hear Bartók, visit Buda landmarks and set off on your cruise
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today's exploration of Buda begins at a museum and memorial to Hungarian composer Béla Bartók in his 1920s home, where you'll hear his melodies in a private piano recital. Revisit Budapest's World War II years and the Cold War era at the Sziklakórház ("Hospital in the Rock"), a recreation of underground miltary medical facilities in a former secret bunker beneath Buda Castle. Then check out Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a guided walking tour; see architectural landmarks including the iconic Fishermen's Bastion, and spend time exploring on your own. Later, board ms Treasures to launch this most extraordinary of Danube cruises, and meet the ship's crew at the Captain's welcome reception tonight.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 4: Paprika, art and wine in Hungary
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Spend some time discovering Kalocsa – celebrated for its paprika and folk art – where you'll learn about the history of paprika and its production from bell peppers at the Paprika Museum; visit the beautiful Baroque library in the Bishop’s Palace, housing one of the finest early collections in Europe; and attend a tasting at a Hungarian winery.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 5: Vukovar, Croatia and on to Serbia
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
As your discovery of the lower Danube cruises into Croatia, attend an on-board lecture by a local expert on the country's culture and history. Travel overland to the Baroque city of Vukovar, once showcasing opulent 18th-century mansions, but now poignantly symbolizing the effects of the 1990s war as it rebuilds; visit the home of a Vukovar family who have recently returned to resume their lives in the city after the conflict, who will share homemade refreshments with you. Continue your cruise to Serbia this afternoon, enhanced by commentary by your Tauck Directors.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 6: Serbian history & culture in Belgrade
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Dock in Belgrade, Serbia's modern capital at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers. A shipboard lecture sets the stage for sightseeing that includes visits to Tito's Memorial and the formidable Kalemegdan Fortress, and views of St. Sava Church, busy Slavija Square (now one of the city's major squares, but once a large pool where residents hunted wild ducks!), Parliament, Republic Square and City Hall. Following a Serbian lunch ashore at a former royal residence, you'll enjoy a special private reception at Belgrade's Royal Palace of Dedinje, where HRH Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia and his family reside today. Return to the riverboat, where a Serbian folkloric group entertains you this evening.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 7: The Iron Gate, King Decebalus and more
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Continuing one of Tauck's popular Danube cruises, relax on a day's cruise past the fields and vineyards of Eastern Europe; shipboard activities which may be offered throughout your cruise range from cooking demonstrations to folkloric, music and dance performances. Pass into Romania and through the Kazan Narrows and the Iron Gate of the Danube, a two-mile-long series of narrow gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. As you glide along the Bulgarian / Romanian border, look for the massive monument to the 2nd-century Dacian King Decebalus – Europe's tallest rock sculpture, completed in 2004, carved into the riverbank on the Romanian side – as well as spectacular views of the Transylvanian Alps.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 8: Big day in Bulgaria
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Learn all about the imagery and symbolism of Iconography with a lecture and demonstration as your journey along the lower Danube cruises to Svishtov, Bulgaria, for excursions to nearby towns. Travel to the medieval capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo, whose ancient walled fortress and castle are set atop three hills overlooking the Yantra River. In the nearby town of Arbanassi, you'll have a chance to visit the Konstant-Salieva House and the Archangels Michael & Gabriel Church. A busy day concludes with an on-board presentation on Bulgarian customs, as well as performances of traditional music and dance.
Lodging: Aboard the Riverboat
Day 9: Along Romania's Black Sea coast
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Arrive in Cernavoda and head off on a day trip to Romania's Black Sea coast. Your first stop is the historic port of Constanta, originally the Greek colony of Tomis in ancient days; see the city's numerous Greek and Roman antiquities, a monument to the poet Ovid (who was exiled here in Roman times) and the distinctive 19th-century waterfront casino on your guided tour. Continue on to the seaside resort of Eforie Nord to enjoy a traditional Romanian folk wedding performance for lunch. Please join us aboard the riverboat for the Captain's farewell cocktail reception and dinner tonight.
Lodging:Aboard the Riverboat
Day 10: Guided sightseeing in Bucharest
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
After disembarking your riverboat and bidding the crew goodbye in Cernavoda, travel through the Romanian countryside to Bucharest, capital of Romania and once regarded as the "Paris of the Balkans." A sightseeing tour includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch; erected to commemorate Romania's reunification and those who fell in World War I, it is a smaller but otherwise exact copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. You'll also pay a visit to the massive People's Palace, home to Romania's Parliament; the world's second-largest building after the Pentagon, some parts of it are reportedly still unfinished! Tonight you'll spend the first of two nights at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel in the heart of the city.
Lodging: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand
Day 11: Castles, monasteries and mysteries in Romania
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
A choice of sightseeing in Romania today features the legacy of the 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. "Vlad the Impaler"), thought to be the historical model for Bram Stoker's character of Dracula. You may choose to take a full day's excursion to tour Transylvania's 14th-century Bran Castle, which Tepes once used as a fortress during his military campaigns and is now a Romanian national monument, returning to Bucharest early evening. Or you can opt for a boat ride to Snagov Island to visit isolated Snagov Monastery, whose grounds are said to contain the final resting place of the infamous prince, as well as a stop at Caldarusani Monastery, followed by an afternoon at leisure back in Bucharest. Please join us tonight for a farewell dinner at the hotel.
Lodging: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand
Day 12: Homeward bound
Meals: Breakfast
Tour ends in Bucharest, Romania. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel to Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport; please allow 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.
12 Days, 7 Days onboard ms Treasures
Budapest, Hungary
20May12,12Aug12 and 23Sep12
| Departure | Cat 1 | Cat 2 | Cat 3 | Cat 4 | Cat 5 | Cat 6 |
|
20May12 |
$5,290 | $5,540 | $6,140 | $6,440 | $7,040 | $7,740 |
| 12Aug12 | $4,590 | $4,840 | $5,440 | $5,740 | $6,340 | $7,040 |
| 23Sep12 | $5,290 | $5,540 | $6,140 | $6,440 | $7,040 | $7,740 |
Rates above are per person and in USD.
Fares Include:
- Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director
- All private Tauck shore excursions – $614 Value!
- Two nights at a hotel in Budapest and two nights in Bucharest at a hotel next to Parliament
- Visit with a Croatian family in their private home in Vukovar
- Private piano performance on a visit to the Béla Bartók Memorial House in Budapest
- Visits to Bucharest’s massive People’s Palace and to the Baroque Bishop’s Palace Library in Hungary
- Private visit to the Royal Palace of Dedinje in Belgrade, once home to Serbian kings
- Passage through the celebrated Iron Gate, a dramatic series of gorges and narrows on the Danube River
- Choice of Romanian excursions – to Bran Castle in Transylvania, or to Snagov Monastery, reputed burial place of the original Dracula, and Caldarusani Monastery
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
- 28 meals (11 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 9 dinners); wine with dinner on the riverboat; service charges, taxes, porterage, and applicable fuel surcharge
Special Singles Savings: Save up to $1000 per cabin when travelling alone on 20May12 departure. Certain restrictions apply; ask your specialist at time of booking.
To view rates in other currencies, please use currency converter as a GUIDE ONLY.
Your specialist will confirm at time of booking.
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